Mercenary Magic
Page 53
“And what is your plan?”
“Oh, no. You’ll just have to wait and see.”
“I hope it doesn’t involve wrapping me up in bacon and feeding me to the dragon for dinner.”
“Well, you are tasty…”
“Kai!”
He chuckled.
“If that’s all you needed, I’ll just be go—”
He caught her hand as she turned to leave. “Not so fast. I’m not done.”
“Oh?”
“Try not to look so scared.”
“I’m not scared of you.” Sera tried to slip out of his hold, but he had the grip of a tyrannosaurus rex. She growled at him. “What do you want?”
“Any one of the supernaturals we faced was powerful enough to make most people turn and run. You stood your ground against an army of them. And Mayhem will give you, what, twenty percent of what I paid them?”
“Fifteen.”
He frowned. “You deserve something extra.”
“Maybe. But this is what I get. I knew what I was getting into when I signed on with them.”
“I want to give you something extra.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Firstly,” she said. “Because it’s against the conditions of my contract with Mayhem. And secondly, because I don’t want your money.”
“You need it.” He pointed at her feet. “Your shoes are falling apart. Your clothes are torn. And you should eat decently once in a while.”
“Since when is pizza not decent food?”
He brushed her pitiful joke aside. “If you won’t take the money, at least let me take you to dinner.”
In her head, Naomi’s voice screamed out, Date! Date! Date!
“I don’t think that would be a very good idea,” Sera told him.
“It’s a spectacular idea.” He leaned in closer, his magic electrifying the air around them. It purred against her skin. “You’re attracted to me.”
She shook her head.
He grinned. “You are. I can see it in the way your body moves toward mine.”
She tried to step away, but his hand settled on her lower back, holding her in place. “I’m not moving toward you. You’re holding me prisoner.”
“Should I let go?”
No. “Yes.”
As he dropped his hands, he leaned in to whisper into her ear, “I’m waiting.”
“For what?” she asked, her breath catching in her throat. His words were like honey against her skin.
“For you to prove me wrong and run off.” He kissed her neck once, so softly that she wondered if she’d only imagined it.
“I…”
“I don’t think you will.” He met her gaze. “Even now, you’re thinking about kissing me. You’re wondering if it’s as good as you remember. It is.”
“You’re delusional.”
“Am I? Did I only imagine the need pulsing through your magic as you kissed me back?”
“Kissed you back? Please. I was trying to push your tongue away.” Even as she said the words, she knew it was a weak lie.
“Oh?”
He stroked his hand down her face, his eyes burning into her. When she looked into those eyes, she knew how bone-shattering amazing it would be to be with him—if only she could tame him. But deep down, she knew he could never be tamed. And she liked it. That was the truth of it. She was drawn to the wild and deadly dragon. She wanted him to bathe her body in fire.
“You can still walk away,” he said. His lips brushed against hers.
“I really should,” she agreed, leaning into him as her mouth trailed his.
The moment he kissed her, their magic ignited. He was right. Kissing him was every bit as good as she remembered. Magic sizzled from his fingertips as his hands slid down her body, following her every curve. It had been so long—too long—since anyone had touched her like this. No, screw that. No one had ever touched her quite like this. She’d never been caressed by magic. She’d always stayed away from supernaturals. It had been too risky. Being with one of them meant risking exposure. It made her vulnerable.
And right now she just didn’t care. In fact, Kai could expose her like this all day long as far as she was concerned. His teeth nipped lightly at her neck.
The door to the office whooshed open. Sera scrambled off the desk—how had she gotten there?—and watched Kai’s secretary walk across the room. Kai’s shirt was tossed over the back of his chair, and half of Sera’s hair was falling out of her ponytail. The woman didn’t even blink. She set a stack of papers down on Kai’s desk, right beside where he was sitting. She reminded him about a press conference later that day, then clicked her runway heels back across the room and closed the door.
As soon as she was gone, Kai turned his brilliant blue eyes on Sera. They shone with a foreboding light, one that promised pain and pleasure. He wasn’t the least bit mortified that they’d been interrupted while making out on his desk. Realization, that heavy stone of no denial, sank in Sera’s stomach. His secretary hadn’t looked shocked because he did this sort of thing all the time.
But she didn’t do things like this. Not ever. All those reasons why she hadn’t been with a man in so long—they were valid here too. They were even more valid actually. Kai was on the Magic Council, the organization that had made being Dragon Born a death sentence. Sera couldn’t risk her life—the lives of her family—for a man who was just playing games with her because he got his thrills off of seducing women who’d turned him down. That wasn’t the recipe for a healthy relationship. She didn’t know anything about relationships, but even she knew that.
“Oh, no. You’ll just have to wait and see.”
“I hope it doesn’t involve wrapping me up in bacon and feeding me to the dragon for dinner.”
“Well, you are tasty…”
“Kai!”
He chuckled.
“If that’s all you needed, I’ll just be go—”
He caught her hand as she turned to leave. “Not so fast. I’m not done.”
“Oh?”
“Try not to look so scared.”
“I’m not scared of you.” Sera tried to slip out of his hold, but he had the grip of a tyrannosaurus rex. She growled at him. “What do you want?”
“Any one of the supernaturals we faced was powerful enough to make most people turn and run. You stood your ground against an army of them. And Mayhem will give you, what, twenty percent of what I paid them?”
“Fifteen.”
He frowned. “You deserve something extra.”
“Maybe. But this is what I get. I knew what I was getting into when I signed on with them.”
“I want to give you something extra.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Firstly,” she said. “Because it’s against the conditions of my contract with Mayhem. And secondly, because I don’t want your money.”
“You need it.” He pointed at her feet. “Your shoes are falling apart. Your clothes are torn. And you should eat decently once in a while.”
“Since when is pizza not decent food?”
He brushed her pitiful joke aside. “If you won’t take the money, at least let me take you to dinner.”
In her head, Naomi’s voice screamed out, Date! Date! Date!
“I don’t think that would be a very good idea,” Sera told him.
“It’s a spectacular idea.” He leaned in closer, his magic electrifying the air around them. It purred against her skin. “You’re attracted to me.”
She shook her head.
He grinned. “You are. I can see it in the way your body moves toward mine.”
She tried to step away, but his hand settled on her lower back, holding her in place. “I’m not moving toward you. You’re holding me prisoner.”
“Should I let go?”
No. “Yes.”
As he dropped his hands, he leaned in to whisper into her ear, “I’m waiting.”
“For what?” she asked, her breath catching in her throat. His words were like honey against her skin.
“For you to prove me wrong and run off.” He kissed her neck once, so softly that she wondered if she’d only imagined it.
“I…”
“I don’t think you will.” He met her gaze. “Even now, you’re thinking about kissing me. You’re wondering if it’s as good as you remember. It is.”
“You’re delusional.”
“Am I? Did I only imagine the need pulsing through your magic as you kissed me back?”
“Kissed you back? Please. I was trying to push your tongue away.” Even as she said the words, she knew it was a weak lie.
“Oh?”
He stroked his hand down her face, his eyes burning into her. When she looked into those eyes, she knew how bone-shattering amazing it would be to be with him—if only she could tame him. But deep down, she knew he could never be tamed. And she liked it. That was the truth of it. She was drawn to the wild and deadly dragon. She wanted him to bathe her body in fire.
“You can still walk away,” he said. His lips brushed against hers.
“I really should,” she agreed, leaning into him as her mouth trailed his.
The moment he kissed her, their magic ignited. He was right. Kissing him was every bit as good as she remembered. Magic sizzled from his fingertips as his hands slid down her body, following her every curve. It had been so long—too long—since anyone had touched her like this. No, screw that. No one had ever touched her quite like this. She’d never been caressed by magic. She’d always stayed away from supernaturals. It had been too risky. Being with one of them meant risking exposure. It made her vulnerable.
And right now she just didn’t care. In fact, Kai could expose her like this all day long as far as she was concerned. His teeth nipped lightly at her neck.
The door to the office whooshed open. Sera scrambled off the desk—how had she gotten there?—and watched Kai’s secretary walk across the room. Kai’s shirt was tossed over the back of his chair, and half of Sera’s hair was falling out of her ponytail. The woman didn’t even blink. She set a stack of papers down on Kai’s desk, right beside where he was sitting. She reminded him about a press conference later that day, then clicked her runway heels back across the room and closed the door.
As soon as she was gone, Kai turned his brilliant blue eyes on Sera. They shone with a foreboding light, one that promised pain and pleasure. He wasn’t the least bit mortified that they’d been interrupted while making out on his desk. Realization, that heavy stone of no denial, sank in Sera’s stomach. His secretary hadn’t looked shocked because he did this sort of thing all the time.
But she didn’t do things like this. Not ever. All those reasons why she hadn’t been with a man in so long—they were valid here too. They were even more valid actually. Kai was on the Magic Council, the organization that had made being Dragon Born a death sentence. Sera couldn’t risk her life—the lives of her family—for a man who was just playing games with her because he got his thrills off of seducing women who’d turned him down. That wasn’t the recipe for a healthy relationship. She didn’t know anything about relationships, but even she knew that.
